Birth Defects Quiz

What Do You Know About Birth Defects?

See how much you know about birth defects. Learn what you can do to lower your risk.

1. How many babies in the U.S. are born with birth defects?

You didn't answer this question.

You answered

The correct answer is

According to the March of Dimes, about 1 in 33 babies born each year in the U.S. has a birth defect.

A. 1%
B. 3%
C. 5%
D. 10%

2. When is an unborn baby most at risk of developing a birth defect?

You didn't answer this question.

You answered

The correct answer is

That's why experts recommend that women planning to become pregnant visit their doctor first. This is especially important for women with chronic health conditions, the March of Dimes says.

A. First trimester
B. Second trimester
C. Last trimester
D. All 9 months

3. Which of these is a common birth defect?

You didn't answer this question.

You answered

The correct answer is

Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth defects of the mouth and lip. They happen in about 1 in 700 births. These problems occur early in pregnancy. The sides of the lip and the roof of the mouth don’t join together as they should. A child can have cleft lip, cleft palate, or both. Most babies born with a cleft are otherwise healthy, with no other birth problems. Down syndrome is a genetic disorder that includes a combination of birth defects. These include intellectual problems, certain facial features and, often, heart defects, visual and hearing problems, and other health problems. These problems vary greatly in how severe they are. According to the CDC, Down syndrome affects about 1 in 691 babies.

5. A woman who is pregnant or considering pregnancy should get a medical checkup. Which of these vaccines should be up to date before she gets pregnant because of the danger of the disease to the fetus?

You didn't answer this question.

You answered

The correct answer is

If a woman is not immune to rubella, infection during pregnancy can cause a group of birth defects called the congenital rubella syndrome. Defects include decreased growth, intellectual problems, small head, congenital cataracts or cloudiness of the cornea, deafness, and heart defects.

7. Pregnant women should not handle cat litter to lower the risk of becoming infected with which of these?

You didn't answer this question.

You answered

The correct answer is

This infection can be passed to humans through cat feces. It can seriously harm an unborn baby. Infection during pregnancy can cause premature delivery, low birth weight, intellectual problems, muscle movement problems, small head, small eyes and blindness, seizures, hydrocephalus, and damage to the liver and blood-forming organs.

A. Toxoplasmosis
B. Streptococcus
C. E. coli bacteria
D. HIV

8. Which of these kinds of medicines can cause birth defects if taken when pregnant?

You didn't answer this question.

You answered

The correct answer is

Many prescription and over-the-counter medicines aren't safe for pregnant women to take. An expectant mother should check with her doctor before taking any medicine or supplement.

9. During prenatal care, a health care provider may recommend genetic screening tests for certain disorders. What is one thing that amniocentesis tests for?

You didn't answer this question.

You answered

The correct answer is

Amniocentesis usually is done between the 15th and 20th week of pregnancy. Down syndrome is one of the most common genetic chromosome problems tested for. The number of conditions that can be diagnosed by amniocentesis increases every year. Amniocentesis can be used to diagnose many chromosome problems, DNA-gene problems, and enzyme and amino acid problems. In late pregnancy, amniocentesis can even help find out how mature the fetus' lungs are.